.V 



f; 

CUNii.;:'; STATKS OP AMfc-UlOA.^i 



MEMOIR 



OF 



EEY. JOSEPH HARRINGTON, - 

BY 



WILLIAM WHITING. 



BOSTON: 

CROSBY, NICHOLS, AND COMPANY, 
111 Washington Stkeet. 
1854. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by 
Crosby, Nichols, and Company, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



CAMBRIDGE: 
METCALF AND COMPANY, PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. 



PEEPACE. 



The following brief Memoir of my friend and 
classmate has been written, at the request of his 
relatives, in the chance intervals of time snatched 
from engrossing professional labors. If it fails to do 
justice to his sterling worth, it may yet be accepted 
as a sincere tribute of affection and respect. 

W. W. 



MEMOIE. 



Joseph Harrington, Junior, was born in Rox- 
bury, Massachusetts, on the 21st day of February, 
A. D. 1813. His father was a lawyer, who practised 
his profession many years in Norfolk and Suffolk 
Counties, and occasionally held court as a justice 
of the peace. His mother still resides at Roxbury, 
the survivor of her husband and eldest son, whose 
life is the subject of this brief narrative. 

The years of childhood are not unfrequently 
passed over as unworthy of notice. It is true that 
they are usually wanting in striking incidents ; but 
those are not the only ones to be deemed important 
which excite the imagination, arouse the feelings, or 
seem to have been followed by obvious results. 

The genuine history of childhood is purely psycho- 
logical. Its true object is to reveal the earliest ten- 
dencies of the mind, — to lay open the head-springs 
and rivulets from which the stream took origin ; and 
the successive contributions from verdant meadow, 
shady grove, or rocky cliff" which united to form the 
mingled tide of life. 

1* 



6 



MEMOIR. 



Whence, and under what circumstances, the 
youth received those successive impressions which 
have moulded the character, — how the world would 
have been changed to him had his early tendencies, 
or the influences acting upon him, been different 
from what they really were, — what were the laws 
of his spiritual being established thus early, and how 
they transmitted, reflected, or distorted the rays cast 
upon it by the phenomena of life, — these inquiries, 
and such as these, in relation to any human soul, 
would not be without interest. 

Yet, however curious or valuable they might 
prove, as affording the means of ascertaining by 
early observation the elements of the true orbit of 
the mind's progress, such elements are rarely noticed, 
and genuine data are seldom preserved. General 
recollection and vague impressions alone remain of 
facts seen though the misty medium of interven- 
ing years, and these are often colored by the senti- 
ments of a too friendly observer. 

This is not the only difficulty in the way of ascer- 
taining the precise truth. When an individual, even 
of tenacious memory, and prone to retrospection, 
attempts to regain a clear and definite recollection 
of what he himself was in early childhood, he will 
find that he has undertaken no easy task. He will 
be pained to learn that he cannot feel completely 
certain as to the phases of his own moral or mental 
constitution through its various successive changes. 
Some leading facts may, indeed, have established 
themselves in his memory ; but all else that made up 
the scenery of early life has sunk irrecoverably into 
uncertainty and forgetfulness. 



MEMOIR. 



7 



If the philosophic mind finds such difficulty in 
tracing the vestiges of its own early experience, it is 
worse than useless for the stranger to attempt it. 

It is to be regretted that so little is now known of 
the early life of the subject of this Memoir. He is 
remembered as a bright, active boy, who engaged 
ardently in childish sports, feared nobody, and always 
stood up for the weaker side. Resolute and deter- 
mined, he was always ready to maintain his own 
rights whenever he considered them assailed, either 
by overbearing schoolmates or by the village mis- 
tress herself; appealing to no one for aid in such 
emergencies. Upon one occasion, while at school, 
as early as his sixth year, it was thought proper to 
inflict some punishment upon him to insure obedi- 
ence, but when the schoolmistress was about to ap- 
ply the ferrule, our active and athletic pupil seized 
the instrument which he thought destined to dis- 
grace him, and threw it in fragments on the floor. 
The teacher yielded, and the boy triumphed for 
the time, but came the next day with a humble 
apology, insisted on by his parents, who were per- 
haps roused by this incident to that deep anxiety 
and w^atchfulness which became the means of de- 
veloping in his mind much that afterwards ennobled 
his life. 

But there were other elements of character which 
were strongly marked, even at this early period. Of 
these, one was a genuine and enthusiastic love and 
reverence for his mother: it was more than affection; 
it was profounder than respect; it was not mere 
obedience, which may be enforced by a sense of 



8 



MEMOIR. 



duty, — it was an elemental law of his nature; it 
was the native loyalty of the heart to its true sover- 
eign. Such hold, fortunately, had his mother upon 
the destiny of her son ; she alone could have con- 
trolled the wild and stormy elements that were pent 
up in this boy's breast. 

The first law of manhood is obedience ; it is the 
foundation of self-control, and is the only element 
by which allegiance to the sovereignty of conscience 
is recognized and enforced; obedience first to the 
earthly parent, then, as the soul becomes cognizant 
of its relations to God, obedience to his will. 
Obedience, not from fear, not from compulsion, but 
from filial love, was one of the beautiful laws that, 
from his earliest years, was planted in the mental 
constitution of this brave child ; thus making a 
strong contrast with the resolute and turbulent will, 
which it was destined in future years to control and 
subdue. 

On one occasion only, and this when he was 
seven years old, his mother thought it necessary to 
reinforce her influence by inflicting corporal punish- 
ment. With emotions which her tears plainly re- 
vealed, she gave herself up to this twofold sacrifice; 
the noble heart of this her oldest son was melted ; 
he was overcome by the suffering of his mother, 
and throwing his arms about her neck, he made a 
promise, which he always kept, that she should 
never again have occasion to punish him for dis- 
obedience. 

An incident of his boyhood is related which illus- 
trates his determination to be faithful to this prom- 



MEMOIR. 



9 



ise. When about twelve years of age, he was 
spending a holiday in various amusements with his 
schoolmates, and was invited by them to jump into 
a pleasure-boat which lay moored to the shore. 
After some time they unfastened the boat, and were 
pushing off, when Joseph perceived their inten- 
tion. He at once requested the boys to set him 
on shore, and when they refused, he replied that 
he must go on shore ; that he had promised his 
mother never to go out in a boat without her leave ; 
that he had on new clothes, and should be sorry to 
spoil them; but that, unless they would put back, he 
would jump overboard and swim ashore. The boys 
yielded, and he landed alone, having indeed lost the 
company of his playmates, but having gained self- 
respect and the satisfaction of doing his duty and 
keeping his pledge. 

Among the instructors whose influence upon him 
seems to have been most permanent was Edward 
Bliss Emerson, a man of great purity and simplicity 
of character, uniting exquisite delicacy and sensitive- 
ness with an earnest, religious purpose, sterling 
common sense, and a wide and generous sympathy 
for all. 

Elegant and graceful in manners and address, 
rich in the stores of classic learning as well as of 
polite literature, graced with every quality that 
could fascinate youth, or command the love, respect, 
and admiration of manhood, Mr. Emerson exercised 
an irresistible influence over every one with whom 
he was intimately associated. 

Mr. Harrington often, in after years, mentioned 



10 



MEMOIR. 



with reverence and gratitude the name of this faith- 
ful instructor, who so early passed away, the first 
stricken from that brilliant constellation of men of 
genius bearing his name. 

With good health, constant attendance upon the 
excellent public schools of his native place, and in 
the bosom of a home made attractive and joyous 
by a numerous family of brothers and sisters, who 
grew up in mutual affection for each other, the 
young scholar passed the first fourteen years of his 
life. 

In September, 1827, he entered Phillips Academy 
at Exeter, New Hampshire, at that time under the 
charge of " Dr. Benjamin Abbot and Dr. Gideon 
Soule, whose names strike many a hallowed chord 
of association in the past, and who are remembered 
with gratitude by a long line of illustrious pupils." 
The Rev. A. A. Livermore of Cincinnati, a fellow- 
student at Exeter and a classmate at Cambridge, 
thus writes of his first appearance at the Acad- 
emy : — 

" I well remember his fair, open face, his light hair, and 
affable manners. He was a specimen of a healthy, genu- 
ine, fine-spirited New England boy. My impression is 
clear, that, if one word were used to describe him then, 
that word would be magnanimity. His mind was a good 
one, but his strength lay in his heart and character. He 
would not allow meanness in plays, or tyranny of the strong 
over the weak. His clear, blue eye would flash rebuke at 
any unworthy compliances, and his manly voice would ring 
out an indignant condemnation. He was active and ath- 
letic, excelled in manly sports, and did with might and 



MEMOIR. 



11 



main whatever he undertook, whether it was to get a lesson, 
catch a fish, or win the game. He was a good scholar ; but 
his nature did not run up in any brilliant eccentricities or 
specialties which mankind commonly call genius. His 
genius was rotund, complete, equal to every occasion. 
Physically, mentally, morally, he was a high-toned, healthy 
human creature, and he carried this wholesome equipoise 
through Ufe. He could do all things well, and maintained, 
both at the academy and in college, high rank as a scholar. 
His moral conduct and deportment were unexceptionable, 
and his heart poured out a constant tide of good feeling. 
As a friend, he was always true, frank, and sincere, and he 
entered with warmth and heartiness into all the school-boy 
confidences and ardent sympathies of youth." 

Few incidents are recorded which would give 
point and distinctness to those delineations of his 
school days. That he was thoroughly prepared for 
college is well known, and that preparation could 
have been obtained only by constant application to 
his studies. 

He entered Harvard University in the summer of 
1829. That day on which the name of the young 
student is recorded upon the rolls of the University 
should be remembered as one of the most important 
eras in his life. He has thus abandoned the busy 
mart, the stirring scenes of commercial enterprise, 
the excitement of politics, the hope of wealth, and 
has consecrated himself to the pursuit of learning. 
He has exchanged the noisy and rattling pave- 
ment for the shady walk ; the dusty race-course 
for the " academic grove " ; the rough struggles of 
actual business for the intellectual contests of Greek 



12 



MEMOIR. 



philosophers ; the stock-list and price-current for 
Thucydides and Xenophon and the ponderous tomes 
of the schoolmen. 

That the young and ambitious scholar, withdrawn 
from the immediate care of his parents, thrown into 
fortuitous association with many young men of his 
own age, beginning, as it were, a new life, breath- 
ing a new atmosphere, and burdened with new du- 
ties and trials, surrounded with novel pleasures and 
temptations, should be insensible to these changes 
could not be expected or desired. 

That college life is encompassed with danger and 
temptation cannot be denied. There, alone, the 
youth is exposed to all the seductions of vice, while 
its deformity is veiled by the refinements of taste or 
disguised by sophistry. The hand of apparent 
friendship too often raises to the lips the honeyed 
but poisoned cup, and the unguarded conscience is 
too often betrayed into fatal error by the sneer of the 
libertine or the example of the open-hearted worship- 
per of Bacchus. The student who is above such 
unworthy influences may yet be in daily intimacy 
with those who have entered the university merely 
because it affords an elegant and fashionable mode 
of spending four precious years, — young men of 
no fixed principles upon any subject, thoughtless, in- 
dolent spendthrifts, who have no taste for knowledge 
and little capacity for acquiring it ; who pride them- 
selves upon their wealth or family, and expect that 
the wide world will be anxious to do them reverence 
when they shall be ready to receive it ; scorning the 
ambitious student, who, rather than to waste the 



MEMOIR. 



13 



midnight hours with jolly companions in idle dissi- 
pation, prefers to spend them in communing with 
the master-spirits of ancient times, and in treasuring 
up their immortal thoughts. 

Then there is the danger of a too high-wrought 
ambition, that may lead to a miserable wreck of 
health and happiness. The rivalry of youth, not 
less intense than that of riper years, may lead the 
he'art far away from the pure and serene atmosphere 
in which alone the tree of knowledge puts forth its 
branches and bears its fruit. College life, like the 
hot-bed, compels every seed either to rot or to germi- 
nate, and each plant must be developed according to 
the law of its own constitution. It will select of the 
various species of nourishment offered to it that 
which is congenial to its organization ; the rest it 
will reject as poison. The law of its vitality will 
instantly decide what it shall absorb and what it 
shall refuse, and the result will disclose to us what 
that law was. 

Thus life in college develops each student's pure 
individuality, and the young scholar from Exeter 
was no exception to the rule. He had attained 
knowledge enough of the preparatory studies to pass 
a critical examination for admission to the Fresh- 
man class. 

Endowed by nature with a strong and healthy 
physical constitution, his active habits had tended to 
strengthen and improve it. He enjoyed the exhilara- 
tion of out-of-door air and exercise, and was accus- 
tomed, at frequent intervals, to walk a dozen miles 
or more in the day, without sensible fatigue. Dur- 

2 



14 



MEMOIR. 



ing vacations, he sometimes took long journeys 
on foot, with one or more of his classmates. He 
learned the arts of boxing and fencing, not only for 
the vigorous and healthful exercise which they re- 
quire, but for the purpose of self-defence. His eye 
was quick, his judgment cool, his dexterity unusual, 
and his skill added not a little to that fearlessness or 
bravery which marked his personal bearing. He 
feared no man in single combat, armed only with 
nature's weapons. High-spirited, and quick to no- 
tice insult, he bore it from no one, unless followed 
by explanation or apology. Entertaining a high 
sense of honor himself, he could not tamely submit 
to a taunt more than to a blow. He was among 
the foremost in all the games of the " Delta," and 
his broad chest and well-developed form gave to his 
figure, though but little above the medium height, a 
certain solidity and dignity which corresponded with 
the manliness of his character. Yet, in all these 
athletic sports, even in the exciting broadsword exer- 
cise, he was always fair, courteous, and good-tem- 
pered, and he never forgot what was due to his 
adversary, whether victorious or not. 

Full of good-humor at all times, and delighting in 
whatever gave pleasure to others, he was fond of 
daring frolics; and not a few of those wild pranks 
which sometimes annoyed the college tutors, and 
procured for his classmates " a miss " from recita- 
tion, were supposed to have been shrewdly planned 
and adroitly executed by this light-hearted youth ; 
but he never destroyed a sixpence' worth of property, 
or intentionally wounded the feelings of a single 
member of the government of the University. 



MEMOIR. 



15 



Perhaps it could not justly be said that he loved 
study over much ; his vivacity of temperament, 
vigorous health, fondness for athletic exercise, and 
other peculiarities of taste and temper, were all 
against his becoming a recluse or a bookworm. Yet 
he conscientiously devoted his time to the college 
course of studies, always mastered his lessons, and 
held, as a scholar, an honorable position among his 
classmates. He was not inclined, at that time, to 
the study of abstract science ; and the more recondite 
branches of mathematics, and metaphysics were pur- 
sued by him chiefly as means of mental discipline. 

But he was a philologist ; he delighted in the 
English classic poets. Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, 
and Shakspeare were the objects of his genuine and 
unaffected admiration. The Italian, French, and 
German languages were also studied by him with 
more interest than the ancient tongues, although 
there was less opportunity then than at present for 
attaining a thorough knowledge of them at the Uni- 
versity. 

The Italian first attracted him, because it was the 
language of music, — he had not then become 
familiar with the wild, harrowing pictures of the 
" Inferno," the seductive stories of the " Decame- 
rone," the Christian chivalry of the " Jerusalemme 
Liberata," or the touching sonnets of the poet of 
Vaucluse. 

But the literature of Germany early took a deeper 
hold on his imagination ; and as he became more 
acquainted with the genius of the language, its radi- 
cal affinity to the English, of which it forms so large 



16 



MEMOIR. 



an element, its richness, vigor, and flexibility, its 
capability of being moulded to suit most opposite 
characteristics, and, above all, with the freshness, 
depth, variety, and independence of thought which 
are embodied in it and constitute its chief glory, he 
determined to master all its treasures. 

As long as he lived, he never abandoned the 
learning or the literature of Germany, enjoying not 
only Goethe, Schiller, and the minor poets, but 
studying with ever-increasing interest the works of 
those great theologians who, by vigorous research, 
and faithful investigation, have rendered such valu- 
able aid to the profession which he afterwards chose. 

Music w^as a source of daily delight to him ; his 
organization was delicate, his ear accurate, his voice 
agreeable, and of good compass. Many a time in 
summer he wakened the midnight air with his gay 
carols, and often the silent and sombre walls of the 
old college buildings echoed back the trios and quar- 
tettes to which his voice added much of their grace 
and sweetness. 

The college laws forbade the student to be present 
at the opera and theatre, but the laws of his consti- 
tution rendered these attractions irresistible, and as 
the tutors and professors themselves occasionally 
visited these places of amusement, he could see no 
valid reason why he should be driven from the 
shrine of the muses. But it was not mere amuse- 
ment that he sought; he was passionately fond of 
music; every note melted into his heart, and the 
memory of fine passages was a perpetual joy to him. 
He practised the more remarkable parts of every 



MEMOIR. 



17 



opera which he heard, and became sufficiently famil- 
iar with them, not only to understand them, but to 
appreciate the difficulty of every " cadence." 

His appetite for the science became more intense 
as he better understood it, and his pleasure increased 
as his acquaintance extended from the well-known 
compositions of Rossini, Bellini, &c. to composers 
of a widely different order of genius. 

The drama, both comic and tragic, was from his 
early youth a favorite source of amusement and in- 
struction. The fine readings of the Kembles made 
a strong impression on his mind ; every new point 
brought out by these great tragedians was remem- 
bered, marked down in his copy of Shakspeare, and 
not unfrequently repeated to his intimate friends, 
with much satisfaction. He was accustomed to 
study, and was perfectly familiar with the plays, not 
only of Shakspeare, but of Ben Jonson, and of most of 
the old English dramatic writers, and these were the 
fountains whence flowed that rich and pure lan- 
guage which seemed natural to him in later years. 
His fondness for dramatic performances did not 
cease till the more serious duties of life shut the door 
against such entertainments. 

The study of elocution, then for the first time in 
the University made a special branch of education, 
engrossed much of his attention. Indeed, it was at 
that time a subject of general interest among the 
students, and not a few of the most distinguished 
scholars, in the different classes, entered into a gen- 
erous rivalry with each other, in the practice of pub- 
lic speaking or declamation. A learned professor of 
2* 



18 



MEMOIR. 



elocution laid down rules for training and exercising 
the voice so as to develop its full capacities, and 
gave in his own performances admirable illustrations 
of all that could be done by the orator, drilled and 
disciplined according to the rules of art. He taught 
his pupils that mere declamation, however elegant, 
graceful, or perfect in its intonations, has no power 
to excite the imagination or to touch the heart ; that 
it is only when the speaker forgets himself, and is 
carried away by glowing thoughts, genuine senti- 
ment, and uncontrollable enthusiasm, that his words 
are really eloquent and effective. 

Young Harrington studied elocution as an art, 
and in his Junior year carried off one of the Boylston 
prizes for declamation, proving the high estimation 
in which his powers as an elocutionist were then 
held, and although no one could exceed him in the 
euphony of his manly voice, in the musical rhythm of 
his cadences, the propriety of his intonations, or in 
the ease and gracefolness of his gestures, yet his 
elocution fell short of that efiect which it attained in 
after years, when he spoke unconsciously, from a 
full heart, and on subjects of momentous interest. 

This practice of declamation, united as it was to a 
genuine fondness for dramatic compositions, gave 
him great advantages in the pursuits to which he 
was afterwards devoted, as a teacher of youth, and a 
preacher of the Gospel. 

He was at one time much interested in the study 
of phrenology, of which Dr. Spurzheim was then an 
eminent advocate, and whose instructions were at- 
tentively listened to by many students of his class ; 



MEMOIR. 



19 



but neither for this nor for any other pursuit did he 
ever neglect his college duties, but was an exemplary 
student, and faithful to every lesson. His high 
sense of moral obligation ; the consciousness that his 
future all hung upon the present; his dread of dis- 
appointing the just expectations of his parents, who 
had made great sacrifices to give him a liberal edu- 
cation ; his personal ambition ; and, above all, his 
love and respect for his mother, — conspired to add 
vigor to his manly resolves, that no duty should be 
left undone, and that neither music, the drama, the 
" Delta," nor his love of wild adventure, should 
baffle his efforts to follow the straight path of labori- 
ous study. His occasional letters show the difficul- 
ties he encountered and the success he attained. 
The strength of a man's virtue is known only by the 
power of the temptations he has vanquished ; and 
that character is truly noble which obeys the imperi- 
ous dictates of duty when it is opposed to the tastes, 
habits, and passions. 

Few young men have passed through the fiery 
ordeal of college life with less cause for regret than 
he. His life was pure in every sense of the word. 
He was never guilty of profanity in earnest or in 
jest, and one who was his friend for more than 
twenty years, and who was, during all his college 
life, in the habit of daily unrestrained intercourse 
with him, and to whom, at all times, he poured out 
his heart as to a brother, cannot recall a single in- 
stance of coarse language, thought, or allusion 
uttered or suggested by him. 

At that period of life when the thoughtless are too 



20 



MEMOIR. 



apt to lay up for themselves a store of self-reproach, 
— the season of hot and impetuous blood, — his in- 
stinctive delicacy shrank in disgust from gross 
wickedness, and his high sense of honor repelled the 
idea of tampering with female innocence. 

Yet he was a romantic youth ; his soul was filled 
with dreams of poetic beauty ; he paid profound 
homage to all that was graceful and lovely in man 
or woman ; and he not only worshipped the ideal and 
visionary, but was in truth an enthusiastic admirer 
of the actual. He was ready to bend the knee at 
the shrine of beauty, not senseless, insipid, and 
unmeaning beauty, but that higher and nobler qual- 
ity which commands the admiration and respect of 
refined and sensible men. 

This fact sometimes subjected him to censure for 
inconstancy. Yet the pure, chivalrous, and manly 
sentiments which he entertained towards all females 
formed one of the secret charms that shielded him 
from the thought of dishonorable trifling. 

Accustomed to good society, he was scrupulously 
neat and unostentatious in his dress, and he was 
graceful and self-possessed in manners. If in early 
youth he had any tendency to display, it wore off 
when the earnest work of life began, and simplicity 
of heart and unconsciousness of self, indispensable 
conditions of saying or doing any worthy thing, 
were, in later years, the prominent features of his 
mind. 

He was a sincere and truthful man ; he made no 
timid concessions or compromises, but stoutly de- 
fended his principles when they were assailed, and 



MEMOIR. 



21 



in him the absent friend was sure to find a fearless 
and independent champion, whenever the occasion 
called for one. Though he loved to please others, 
he was no time-server, but a brave, self-relying, gen- 
erous fellow, and had withal that further quality 
which lies at the basis of manly virtue, decision of 
character. He was resolute, but not obstinate ; firm, 
decided, steadfast ; he did not sit down satisfied 
merely because he had come to a conclusion, but he 
acted upon his determination. He had confidence 
in his own judgment, a strenuous will, energy and 
courage to bear and to execute. 

Such were the striking outlines of his character 
when he left the University, understood as they then 
were by a few only of his intimate friends, but to 
them as palpable and clearly marked as were the 
features of his fine and beaming face. 

Mr. Harrington was graduated in the summer of 
1833, and received the usual degree of Bachelor of 
Arts. He was thenceforward to depend on his own 
resources, and not only to maintain himself, but to 
lend a helping hand to the younger members of the 
family. While in college, he practised rigid economy, 
for a long time giving up the use of meat, and living 
simply on bread and milk ; and he contributed some- 
thing to lighten the burden of his expenses by keep- 
ing school at Walpole. Shortly before the end of 
his last term, having obtained leave of the President, 
he went to East Greenwich, Khode Island, where he 
became principal of the academy. While teaching 
there, he wrote the part which he delivered at the 
time of his graduation. After residing .a little more 



22 



MEMOIR. 



than six months at East Greenwich, he took charge 
of the Hawes School at South Boston, January 14th, 
1834. 

This was at that time reputed to be one of the 
most difficult of the Boston schools to manage, and 
held the lowest rank of them all. Some of its pupils 
were spoken of as " turbulent, refractory, and pro- 
fane ; and the young man, not yet of age, who dared 
to undertake its charge, was looked upon with curi- 
osity and surprise by all." The spirit in which Mr. 
Harrington undertook this new office, the powers he 
brought to bear upon the hearts of his pupils, his 
success as a teacher of youth, the gradual bending 
of his energies to the great office of developing the 
religious and intellectual nature of those over whom 
he had influence, are well known to all who took 
interest in that school. 

He was the founder of an association in South 
Boston, which still lives in full vigor, devoted to the 
literary, moral, and religious culture of its members, 
and their feelings towards him were expressed, upon 
receiving the news of his decease, in a series of reso- 
lutions which show how deep was the good impres- 
sion his life and teachings had made upon the char- 
acter and morals of the young men of that place. 

" Whereas, recent intelligence from California has 
brought to us the sad tidings of the death of the Rev. 
Joseph Harrington, — one who had gone forth in obedience 
to the injunction, " Go, teach all nations " ; and who has 
died with the Gospel armor on, in the active discharge pf 
conscientious duty to the eternal interests of his fellow-man : 
And whereas, the deceased has sustained the very im- 



MEMOIR. 



23 



portant relation of instructor to many of the members of 
this Association, and has been instrumental in making a 
deep impress for good upon the characters and morals of 
the young men of this place, — 

" Resolved, That by this allotment of Providence we 
stand as mourners at a father's grave ; for in the wisdom 
of his counsels, in his assiduous care of our youthful minds, 
in his anxiety to make pure and noble impressions upon 
the yielding tablets of our forming characters, in his con- 
stant labors to mould us to manly and virtuous life, we 
have lost all of a father's wisdom, care, and devotion. 

" Resolved, That we will, with warm interest, cherish 
those wise instructions, those noble principles, those dis- 
interested labors for others' good, that faithfulness to our- 
selves and to every duty which it was his labor and desire 
ever to inculcate in us ; and that, with all that is pure and 
good in our hearts, we will embalm his memory, as the 
only tribute to his manly talents and goodness of heart 
which is left us in this hour of affliction. 

" Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with his afflicted 
family in this dispensation, knowing how great must be the 
loss of one so friendly, so devoted, and so faithful in every 
relation of life ; and we trust that the blessed consolations 
of the Gospel which he preached, in which he lived, and in 
which he died, may be ministered to them, in all its heal- 
ing richness and power. 

" Resolved, That these resolutions be entered upon the 
records of this Association ; and that a copy, signed by the 
presiding and recording officers, be forwarded to the family 
of the deceased. 

" Benjamin Pope, President. 
Barnard Capen, Secretary.''^ 



24 



MEMOIR. 



Mr. Harrington's success as a teacher at the 
Hawes School was remarkable. His own generous 
heart, his fearlessness, his resolution and decision, 
his gentleness and good-humor, his absolute truth- 
fulness and sincerity, the commanding qualities of 
his mind, his clear intellect, his love of justice, and 
his excellent scholarship, all combined to render him 
the man for such a place. 

To deal with wild and turbulent boys, who have 
never felt the restraint of discipline, requires a fear- 
less teacher ; to repress profanity demands the pres- 
ence, not of the timid, but of the brave and heroic 
man, who bows in reverence before God ; to eradi- 
cate falsehood, there is need of magnanimous truth- 
fulness to put it to shame. The bud of promise is 
unfolded only under the crystal lens of a pure and 
tender heart, that concentrates upon it the warmth 
of a thousand scattered rays of light and love. 

That such apparently inconsistent qualities should 
be embodied in one individual is not to be often ex- 
pected, but they were so combined in him, that each 
held its due influence in his well-balanced mind. 
One who was intimately acquainted with the Hawes 
School thus writes : — 

" His insight into human nature was so keen, that it 
was often remarked by children themselves, ' Nobody can 
tell a lie to Mr. Harrington.' 

" While he required perfect order in his school, he made 
every effort to relieve the tedium, by means of frequent 
change of position, and by music, teaching singing himself 
to his pupils. He also abolished the use of corporal pun- 
ishment for girls, believing that by it their delicacy was 



MEMOIR. 



25 



outraged, and thus the standard of responsibility was lowered. 
In introducing all these novelties into his school, he was re- 
garded by some as an enthusiast and innovator, but the 
efficacy of these plans has been shown by their general 
adoption. 

" At the close of five years he gave up his school to pro- 
secute more closely his theological studies, leaving it 
among the first in the city. 

" He lived to be fully repaid for all his unwearied exer- 
tions, and his anxious toil in this scene of his labors, by 
witnessing the worth, respectability, and usefulness of his 
pupils, as men and women, and by often receiving from 
one and another letters of undiminished affection and inter- 
est. While in Boston, a short time before his death, he 
met one of his first pupils, and congratulated him upon his 
success in life. His reply was, ' Mr. Harrington, all that 
I am I owe to you. Do you recollect when I was a reck- 
less boy, and you had tried all common means to make me 
attend to my duties, you at last said to me, " If your dear 
mother, who loved you so much, can see your conduct now, 
do you not think it will grieve her spirit ? " Then you 
touched the right chord, and from that hour I determined to 
become an altered being.' " 

It was while in this field of arduous labor at South 
Boston that Mr. Harrington began to turn his atten- 
tion towards the ministry. Nor was it an unnatural 
transition from the education of youth to the teach- 
ing of men. Any instructor who feels the responsi- 
bility and delight of unfolding to ingenuous youth 
the elements of moral and religious truth, who ob- 
serves how readily the frank-hearted child receives 
impressions, and who thus perceives that his own 
errors are repeated by many of his pupils, his faults 



26 



MEMOIR. 



daguerreotyped in their book of life, never to be 
wholly obliterated, can with difficulty avoid thorough 
and frequent self-examination. When that work is 
once begun, it will be prosecuted, not only from a 
sense of duty to himself, but from a just apprehen- 
sion that the pure and trusting hearts of innocent 
children might otherwise be touched and soiled by 
the presence of some unhallowed thought emanating 
from their instructor. 

Having once tasted that supreme felicity which 
flows from manly and successful efforts to exalt and 
ennoble any human soul, what wonder that he should 
feel that the path of duty and happiness lay in the 
same direction. It is but a short step from the gen- 
uine instruction of youth to the preaching of the 
Gospel to all. The progress of Mr. Harrington's 
mind towards this end was observed by many of his 
friends, and among them a distinguished Baptist 
clergyman, who was at that time most intimate with 
him, and who watched his career with almost paren- 
tal interest, thus wrote of him, after his decease. 

" Mrs. Harrington : — 

" Deeply do I sympathize with you in the bereave- 
ment you have sustained by the recent death of your be- 
loved husband. I have been acquainted with him for 
many years, and only to cherish toward him increasing 
respect and love. My acquaintance with him commenced 
at South Boston, while he was yet a young man, per- 
haps unknown to yourself. He had just succeeded to 
the mastership of the Hawes School ; and as I was then 
settled in that part of the city, and had taken a house 
near to his school, he applied for board in my family. 



MEMOIR. 



27 



I had no intention of keeping boarders, and, besides, felt a 
little prejudiced against the new master for having succeed- 
ed against my old friend Forbes, who was a rival candidate 
for the vacancy. But young Harrington appeared so frank 
and open, so intelligent and affable, and withal spoke so 
kindly of his unsuccessful rival, that my scruples were 
readily overcome, and in accordance with his request, he 
became a member of my family. He celebrated the 
twenty-first anniversary of his birth at my house, his par- 
ents, brothers, and sisters being present on the occasion. 
The characteristic joyousness which then beamed upon his 
features is still fresh in my memory. The morning of life 
dawned brightly upon him, and, alas ! his sun has gone 
down while it was yet day. The many pleasant social inter- 
views which I enjoyed with him while under my roof deep- 
ened the favorable impressions I had formed of him, and re- 
sulted in the permanent and uninterrupted friendship which 
"has since existed between us. He was not only a scholar, 
and " a ripe and good one," enthusiastic in his profession as 
a teacher, but I soon found that his heart was set upon some- 
thing higher than mere intellectual training, and that he had 
a growing desire for a profession in which he might devote 
himself more exclusively to the development of moral and 
religious truth. I endeavored to encourage and strengthen 
these aspirations. I had confidence in his Christian charac- 
ter. Though differing from him on some points of theol- 
ogy, I believed, and that belief has been confirmed by his 
subsequent history, that his ministry would be occupied 
more in setting forth the spirit and life of piety, than in dry 
speculations and unprofitable controversy. He had a keen 
relish for religious truth, no matter from whose lips it came, 
and seemed to feed upon it as upon the bread which cometh 
down from heaven. It has not surprised me to learn, that, 
in the various places where he has preached, he has been 



28 



MEMOIR. 



known more as a Christian minister than as the advocate of 
denominational peculiarities. Nor am I surprised to learn 
that, in his last moments, when far from the home of his 
childhood, whither he had gone to carry the good news of 
salvation, and to furnish seasonably to the young, the ad- 
venturous, and the tempted the safeguards of our holy 
faith, — I am not surprised to be informed that, falling, as 
he did, with his harness on, in the midst of his benevolent 
and rehgious enterprise, he was sustained and cheered 
by the presence of God and the hope of a blessed immor- 
tality. I sincerely grieve at his death. He was in the ma- 
turity of his strength, full of life and hope. I can scarcely 
realize even now that he is gone, that those lips are sealed 
and that speaking eye closed for ever. Nay, my dear 
madam, we are not compelled thus to think of our departed 
friend. He is not dead, but hath ascended to a purer and a 
higher life, where, through the grace of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, we may hope, amid brighter scenes, to renew the" 
acquaintance and the friendships of earth. 

" When intelligence reached me of your husband's 
death, I immediately wrote a letter of condolence to his 
afflicted father, but in the evening paper of the same day 
saw a notice that he, too, had gone, and was thus spared 
the necessity of human sympathy, which would have been 
but an inadequate relief under his crushing bereavement. 

" Accept, Mrs. Harrington, these spontaneous reminiscen- 
ces as a token of affectionate regard to the memory of your 
departed husband, with my earnest prayer that Heaven's 
choicest blessings may rest upon you and the fatherless child. 

" Your sincere friend, 

" RoLLiN H. Neale. 

"Boston, August 1st, 1853/' 

Always prudent in his personal expenditures, 
Mr. Harrington was ever ready to spend his money 



MEMOIR. 



29 



for the benefit of others. He devoted a large por- 
tion of his salary at the Hawes School to liberal 
efforts in assisting in business some of the younger 
members of the family ; and, moreover, by this 
praiseworthy generosity, incurred obligations which, 
though small in amount, required for their ulti- 
mate liquidation no less than fourteen years of he- 
roic self-denial and untiring industry in labors out- 
side of his professional duties. Only a few months 
before his death, he had the satisfaction of paying 
principal and interest, to the last farthing. 

" It was while engaged in teaching," writes one 
who knew him well, " that his mind revolved the se- 
rious question of his future profession. His previous 
inclination had been for the law, and he had gone 
through considerable preparatory study ; but the 
ministry now claimed his solemn attention. The 
various worldly sacrifices of the latter were duly 
weighed. He seriously put to himself the question, 
whether he could relinquish all the gayeties of life, 
into which he had hitherto entered with much enjoy- 
ment. This and all kindred questions were long the 
subject of earnest and prayerful consideration. Be- 
lieving that he could serve God in one honest walk 
of life as well as in another, he strove to know His 
will in his decision. The impulse to devote himself 
to his holy calling came, as he devoutly believed, 
from on high. He was standing, during morning 
prayer in his school-room, with closed eyes, leading 
the devotional exercise, when his doubt and question- 
ing vanished, and his duty seemed to be clearly opened 
to him. With him, to know his duty was to form 

3* 



30 



MEMOIR. 



his purpose, and to give himself entirely to the ful- 
filment of it. So in the case in question ; from that 
moment he was a minister of Jesus Christ." 

In a letter to his mother, written^on an anniver- 
sary of this day of signal experience, he writes thus: 
" This day^ three years ago, my mind received that 
bias which it has since retained, and which I hope it 
may ever retain, — about 9.20 A. M. on Tuesday 
preceding Thanksgiving, 1836. The resolve was, / 
will be a public teacher of morals and religionJ^ 

It has been before observed, that Mr. Harrington 
was destined to the practice of the law, a profes- 
sion to which his powers were well adapted, and in 
which, doubtless, he would have acquired distinction. 
Much of his previous education had tended in that 
direction, and the law was well suited to his 
ambitious nature, opening a field for exercising 
the highest and noblest powers of the mind, and, 
when pursued with high and honorable aims, calcu- 
lated, not less than the clerical profession, to elevate 
the morals, to enlarge the mind, and store it with 
science, literature, and all that adorns the life and 
character of a high-toned Christian gentleman. He 
did not forsake the study of jurisprudence because 
he undervalued its dignity, or because he thought 
that the life of a religious teacher was less beset with 
temptation, or less likely to lead him astray, than 
that of a student of law. As a lawyer, he would 
have been no less upright and conscientious than 
as a clergyman ; nor would he have tolerated the 
miserable cant which pronounces one person pious 
merely because he dons the surplice, or another 



MEMOIR. 



31 



less virtuous because he ministers at the altar of 
justice. 

He was well aware that the lawyer is brought into 
close contact with the naked heart of men. Their 
undisguised passions are laid open ; no sanctimoni- 
ous pretensions veil their real designs or their genu- 
ine characters, as, with passions roused to action, 
excited by great temptation or maddened by real 
or fancied injury, they pour their tale of wrong into 
the ears of their legal " confessor." Then the law- 
yer has his mission to perform, also, as a " teacher of 
morals and religion." He has many a golden op- 
portunity to make an impression on the character 
of a client which time cannot efface. By a word or 
look, the majesty of a noble Christian character may 
be revealed, the unworthy impulse, the unhallowed 
intention stand rebuked, and be perhaps for ever 
crushed. 

Fully appreciating the advantages of the legal 
profession, Mr. Harrington, after mature deliberation, 
felt himself called by duty to the ministry; and hav- 
ing thus made his choice, he entered upon the study 
of theology under the direction of Rev. George Put- 
nam of Roxbury, continuing his school, however, at 
the same time, until the last year of his theological 
course. 

In the autumn of 1839, he was sent by the Amer- 
ican Unitarian Association, as missionary, to Chi- 
cago, Illinois, where he remained until the following 
April. At that time he returned to New England to 
solicit funds for the purpose of building a church. 
By his individual exertions he raised about $ 2,500 ; 



32 



MEMOIR. 



and the further sura of about $ 2,000 being contrib- 
uted by citizens of Chicago, the enterprise was car- 
ried to a successful issue ; and before he finally with- 
drew from that place, his society was left free from 
debt. In September, 1840, he was ordained as an 
evangelist at Federal Street Church, Boston, the 
sermon on that occasion being preached by Rev. Dr. 
Putnam. In October of the same year he returned 
to Chicago, as pastor of the " First Unitarian Soci- 
ety " of that city, having on his way a hair-breadth 
escape from shipwTcck. He reached Chicago on 
Saturday, the last day of October, and preached his 
first sermon as a settled clergyman on the follow- 
ing Sunday. There he first met Miss Helen E. 
Grisv/old, to whom he was married on the 6th of 
April, 1841. Their eldest, and only surviving child, 
Helen Josephine, was born in February, 1842, the 
two sons who were afterwards born to them having 
both died in infancy. 

His labors were not confined to his own pulpit. 
In the summer of 1841 he was the first to preach the 
doctrines of Unitarianism at Milwaukie, Wisconsin. 
A large audience attended the services, and from 
that beginning sprang the present church at that 
place. 

He received, in 1842, a call to become colleague 
with the Rev. Mr. Eliot of St. Louis. 

At Rockford, Illinois, he planted the Unitarian 
church in 1843, where he passed some time, preach- 
ing three times on each Sunday, and almost every 
evening in the week. Six months after his depart- 
ure, a friend visiting that place found the highest en- 



MEMOIR. 



33 



thusiasm prevailing among the people, of all denom- 
inations, in regard to his power and eloquence as a 
preacher. 

In the spring of 1844, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington 
left Chicago to visit their Southern and Eastern 
friends, and on the journey he preached for several 
Sundays, most acceptably, to the congregation of the 
Unitarian church in Baltimore (Rev. Dr. Burnap's). 
It was daring this visit that he formed the determi- 
nation to resign the charge of his parish at Chicago. 
This movement had been a subject of deep consid- 
eration with him for a long time, and the motives 
inducing him to take this step are stated in the fol- 
lowing letter to Edward K. Rogers, Esq. 

"Eoxbury, June 21st, 1844. 

" My dear Rogers : — 

" After long deliberation, and great anxiety, I have come 
to the resolution, which I have sat down to communicate 
to you. This resolution is, to transfer my duties from the 
West to some place in the vicinity of my own home. 

" The primary, moving inducement to this step is the pre- 
carious state of my mother's health, united to a condition 
of family affairs which make my presence here a matter of 
great importance, if not of absolute necessity. 

" My mother is now considerably better than she has been, 
and is rapidly improving. She ascribes her restoration to 
her mental tranquillity, which tranquillity she believes to be 
dependent upon the companionship, sympathy, and counsel 
and support of her children. 

" For anything that I now know to the contrary, my re- 
moval from Chicago will not conduce to my worldly profit. 
I have no place in view where I may be established. There 



34 



MEMOIR. 



are two desirable vacancies in the neighborhood, but wheth- 
er or not it will be my fortune to fill either of them, — 
whether my ministerial services will be desired or not in 
either place, is more than I can even conjecture. 

" I need not say to you, that it is with great pain that I 
determine upon leaving you ; — not that I was ever per- 
fectly contented and happy in Chicago ; but because I feel 
a profound interest in the wellbeing of the church there ; — 
because that place has been the scene of some active, anx- 
ious labors on my part, and because a fair share of success 
has crowned my work, and a growing and substantial re- 
ligious brotherhood is rising up to reward solicitude and toil. 
I regret, moreover, to leave the society at this time, be- 
cause it is a period of critical interest in the Chicago 
church. 

" But it may all be well that I should leave you, — it 
may be for your advantage that I abandon my Western 
field of labor. Some of you, I feel assured, will mourn my 
departure, others will be indifferent, — a few may make it 
matter of congratulation. If ministers of our faith were 
plenty, and were willing to establish themselves in those 
remote fields of toil, I should have no reason to despond 
for you, — for I should feel that another incumbent might 
do you much greater service than I could. But our minis- 
ters are few, and those who would be effectual among you 
will, I fear, be reluctant to cultivate so remote a vineyard. 
We will not, however, despair of excellent things to come. 

" In respect to my own experiences among you I wish 
to speak with perfect candor. I said I had not been per- 
fectly happy in Chicago, — many things made me a little 
uncomfortable, — but the chief difficulty lay in my own 
breast, — I never could fix the Iwme feeling there, — and 
this destitution was fatal to my perfect content. I could 
not look upon myself as other than a sojourner there, — I 



MEMOIR. 



35 



could not bear to buy a lot in the cemetery, because I was 
reluctant to entertain the thought that that distant territory 
was to be my perpetual abode, that remote soil the resting- 
place for my bones. 

" Why did I feel so ? I can hardly say. As much as 
anything, the mode of my settlement among you contributed 
to this feeling. I was voted in, as it were, from year to 
year. Uncertainty of connection was written on the very 
contract of alliance. You felt not permanently connected 
with me. I never felt the real sentiment of an abiding pas- 
toral relation. The terms of our union bore the stamp of 
the uncertain, changeful spirit of the time and of the region 
and of the community. And it may be that this is the bet- 
ter way. I never objected to it, am not sure that I did not 
advise it, that it was as much or more the result of the 
want of the home feeling of which I have spoken as the 
producer of it. 

" The mode of raising the salary stamped uncertainty 
on all things. This was voluntarily subscribed. It made 
me feel sadly my dependence. It seemed to place me on 
the ground of perpetually receiving favors. It gave me no 
security, no stability of position, and matters connected 
with this voluntary contribution often occurred that affected 
me . painfully. There was then some uncertainty attending 
the grants from the East, and, all together, obstructed a 
lodgment of the home feeling in my heart. I have, my 
dear Rogers, spoken out with frankness, and with a sad 
and tender sentiment toward you all. I know that you 
will welcome this candor. I shall return in three or four 
weeks, shall remain in Chicago four, five, or six weeks, as 

circumstances may direct, and then bid you farewell 

" With affection, 

"Jos. Harrington." 



36 MEMOIR. 

That Mr. Harrington was loved and respected by 
those most intimate with him at Chicago, that he 
was faithful and untiring in his efforts for the pros- 
perity of his society, that he made sacrifices of per- 
sonal comfort for their sake, that he labored in sea- 
son and out of season, that he succeeded in laying 
the foundation of a permanent society in that thriv- 
ing place, where Unitarianism was little known, and 
yet exceedingly unpopular, that he built up his so- 
ciety and relieved it from a debt which came near 
overwhelming it, that he did not fail to awaken that 
deep and growing interest in religion, which alone 
could satisfy a mind and heart like his, are facts too 
plainly appearing, in all the correspondence between 
him and his parish, to admit of a question. 

When, in 1840, his first term of service was draw- 
ing to a close, the following, among other resolu- 
tions, were passed : — 

" Whereas, the term of service of the Rev. Joseph Har- 
rington, Jr. as pastor of this society is about to expire, in 
view of which he has expressed his intention to depart from 
this place : And whereas he has for the space of nearly six 
months discharged his ministerial duties to the entire satis- 
faction of every member of the society : Therefore, 

" Resolved, That the contemplated departure of the Rev. 
Mr. Harrington excites in us the most unfeigned regret, and 
that we feel called upon to express our gratitude for his 
valuable services, our sorrow of the prospect of parting 
with him, and our cordial wishes for his future welfare. 

" Resolved, That while the ministerial labors of the Rev. 
Mr. Harrington have essentially strengthened the cause of 
Liberal Christianity in this city, and gone far to build up 



MEMOIR. 



37 



and promote the objects of this society, his social character 
has justly endeared him to all who know him, without re- 
gard to sect or denomination, but more especially to the 
members of this religious society. 

" Resolved, That the Rev. Joseph Harrington, Jr. be, 
and he is hereby, called to the permanent pastoral charge 
of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago, and that we ear- 
nestly solicit his acceptance of this call." 

On his return from the East, after his successful 
mission on behalf of his society, the following reso- 
lutions were passed. 

" Resolved, That this society gratefully acknowledge the 
kindness of the several clergymen in Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, New York, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, who so 
warmly espoused our cause and tendered the use of their 
pulpits to our pastor. 

" Resolved, That this society entertain the liveliest grati- 
tude to their worthy and respected pastor, the Rev. Joseph 
Harrington, Jr., for his zealous, laborious, and efficient ex- 
ertions in procuring the amount necessary for the comple- 
tion of our house of worship." 

The following is an extract from a letter dated 
April 13th, 1842, addressed to Rev. Francis Park- 
man by the trustees of the society. 

" Notwithstanding the unexampled distress and embar- 
rassments which have pervaded this community, in common 
with others, it is with unfeigned gratification that we are 
able to state that our society has been slowly but steadily 
increasing, that our church is acquiring a strength beyond 
our most sanguine expectations, cheering to the cause of 
Christianity and its friends. But notwithstanding all this, 
for which we must render thanks to a kind Providence, we 

4 



38 



MEMOIR. 



deem it oui' duty to set before you the great pecuniary 
difficulties with which we are struggling and for which 
there would seem to be no relief at present. The sum 
guaranteed to our worthy pastor for the current year is 
nine hundred dollars, to be increased to ten hundred and 
forty if possible. While we deeply regret that any contin- 
gency should have forced us to decrease his salary, we sin- 
cerely trust that it will only be temporary. He has secured 
our gratitude and esteem by expressing his acquiescence 
in this measure, and by consenting to remain with us, not- 
withstanding the many advantageous offers he has received 
from other places. Appreciating as we do the spirit of 
self-sacrifice and devotion which has ever guided him, we 
do not hesitate to say that he will be seconded by all friends 
of the cause in this place. We are fully aware that the 
liberality so freely bestowed upon us for past years gives 
us but little or no claim to any further assistance, but 
under our present embarrassments it would seem that, if 
ever that assistance should be continued, it is at the pres- 
ent time. 

" Our society is composed mostly of young men of little 
means, struggling with adverse circumstances. They have 
made strenuous efforts to sustain our church, and we know 
they will continue to do so ; they have willing spirits, but 
now little ability. We have dwelt on this matter, wishing 
our Eastern friends to understand clearly our present situ- 
ation. For the future we have the most earnest hope. It 
has pleased a beneficent God to crown the labors of our 
pastor with great success. The doctrines of Christianity as 
advanced by him have created a deep religious sentiment 
in many. Their constant attendance and strong interest 
manifested in all religious subjects cannot but be gratifying 
results to him who has so earnestly labored for us, and 
cheering to all friends of the Gospel, which has but to be 



MEMOIR. 39 

widely spread, and prejudices and oppositions, which are 
now wearing away, will soon be dissipated. While we 
have ourselves increased in numbers, in the country round 
about us an equal spirit is manifested." 

And that these sentiments of affection and respect 
continued in full force to the last is shown by the 
following letter, among numerous similar testimo- 
nials. 

"August leth, 1844. 

" Rev. Joseph Harrington : — 

" Dear Sir, — At a meeting of the members of the First 
Unitarian Society, held on Saturday evening, the 10th in- 
stant, a unanimous vote was passed instructing the Trus- 
tees to express to you, in behalf of the meeting, their 
deep regret that circumstances have rendered it neces- 
sary for you to remove from your present field of use- 
fulness, their heavy obligations for your faithful services, 
and their kindest wishes for your future welfare and hap- 
piness. 

" In dissolving your pastoral relations with this society, 
we feel that you will, like ourselves, experience many pain- 
ful emotions ; we also feel that our church owes its present 
strength and great promise for the future chiefly to your 
active and arduous labors, not only among us, but among 
our brethren at the East, and that our obligations to you 
are greatly enhanced by the many discouragements and 
privations which have surrounded you, and which are inci- 
dent to a new country, and we shall look back with feelings 
of heartfelt gratitude and pleasure upon your sojourn with 
us and your faithful labors amid so many trying scenes. 
In assuring you, in conclusion, of the hearty wishes of the 
society for your prosperity and happiness wherever your 
home may be, we feel that we have but very indifferently 



40 



MEMOIR. 



discharged the duty assigned us, in expressing the kindly- 
feelings and intentions of the meeting. 

" J. H. Hodgson, 
E. K. Rogers." 

Thus ended his residence at Chicago. He retired 
with sadness from a place never wholly congenial 
to his taste, but with a consciousness that he had 
been faithful to the last. Parting with many sincere 
friends and true-hearted Christians, he turned his re- 
luctant steps towards old Massachusetts. 

After a short period of repose, he was invited by 
several prominent friends of the Unitarian cause in 
Boston, among whom was the late lamented Henry 
H. Fuller, whose hand and heart were ever ready for 
any good work, to take measures towards establish- 
ing a new society at the " South End." He labored 
zealously and effectually in this cause ; and while 
thus engaged, he was applied to by the " Benevolent 
Fraternity of Churches " to supply the pulpit of the 
Suffolk Street "Chapel, made vacant by the resigna- 
tion of the Rev. Mr. Sargent. He engaged to 
preach for them one year; hoping that, within that 
period, the new society would have accumulated suf- 
ficient strength to become permanently organized. 
But owing to circumstances which it is unnecessary 
to detail, it was found impracticable to carry this 
project forward, and it was either given up, or the 
proposed society was merged in some other con- 
gregation. The committee and worshippers at the 
Suffolk Street Chapel would gladly have had him 
remain with them as a permanent pastor, but he pre- 
ferred a different field of labor. 



MEMOIR. 



41 



During the winter of 1844-45, he preached two 
Sundays at Hartford, Connecticut, before a Uni- 
tarian society, first organized in July, 1844; and he 
was urgently requested to accept a call from them, 
but declined the offer at that time, feeling himself 
pledged to stand by the " South End " enterprise, 
until its fate was finally decided. 

In April, 1845, his second son was born, again 
awakening in his father's heart that most delicious 
of all earthly dreams, the hope to leave behind him 
one who should bear his name to posterity, but in 
one short month this hope was blasted. 

The call to Hartford was unanimously repeated 
after his engagement at Suffolk Street had termi- 
nated, and it was accepted. On the first Sunday of 
January, 1846, he preached his first sermon to the 
congregation as his own people. 

To detail the events of the next six years of his 
Christian ministry is much easier than to appreciate 
the peculiar difficulties of his position. His was not 
a life of ease. The society was small and unpopular, 
surrounded as it was with other denominations who 
would naturally look with extreme aversion on the 
intruder. He felt, from the beginning, that his labors 
would be arduous ; and while he hoped for the best, 
he never participated in the sanguine expectations 
of many of his people. 

There was not only a strong prejudice against the 
doctrines of Unitarianism at Hartford, but a decided 
disinclination to allow their apostle to be admitted 
into the society of other clergymen. He was avoid- 
ed, publicly and privately, by some ministers of the 

4 * 



42 



MEMOIR. 



Gospel, who carried their exclusive feelings further, 
perhaps, than they would have done, had they been 
better acquainted with his real views, or with the 
Christian character of him they proscribed. And 
although he was occasionally associated with them 
in the cause of education, of which he was a most 
active, well-informed, and efficient promoter, yet 
there were some who could never lay aside their 
antipathy against one who rejected the doctrine 
of the Trinity. Mr. Harrington, whose soul was 
large enough and charitable enough to embrace in 
love all Christians of whatever denomination, and 
who acknowledged the common brotherhood of all 
mankind, suffered intensely from the chilly and op- 
pressive atmosphere of religious intolerance. But 
to the general rule there were some honorable excep- 
tions, — men distinguished, not only for their liberal- 
ity in doctrine, but for many of those noble qualities 
which give dignity and authority to the clerical 
profession. 

It is but an act of justice to mention the names 
of the Rev. Dr. Bushnell and the Rev. Thomas Clark 
of Christ's Church; nor should the late lamented 
Gallaudet be forgotten, — a firm believer in the " Or- 
thodox " faith, but an advocate of freedom of opin- 
ion, and one whose heart beat in unison with that 
of his persecuted friend in every philanthropic cause. 

Better acquaintance with the tone of Mr. Har- 
rington's character, his blameless life, his ardent 
labors in every good work, finally won for him a 
more friendly feeling, and melted away something 
of that icy coldness which chilled and saddened the 
first years of his life at Hartford. 



MEMOIR. 



43 



But soon another trial awaited him. It became 
evident that the church in which he preached at 
Hartford must be sold, unless the debt of the society- 
could be liquidated. This his people were wholly- 
unable to do, finding quite enough to contend with 
in discharging their ordinary expenses. Bitter ex- 
perience in his former effort to beg for the church in 
Chicago had taught him how irksome, how humili- 
ating, how repulsive to all his tastes and sensibil- 
ities, would be the task of soliciting in person the 
aid which his people demanded. 

He felt that he could not propose this course ; but 
he received from Dr. Gannett an urgent letter, put- 
ting it to his conscience. " You are," he writes, 
" the only man luho can save the church.''^ And as 
he revolved the subject in his own mind, it so ap- 
peared to him, and he felt, that, however distasteful, 
repulsive, was the effort, he had no right to listen to 
suggestions of personal sensitiveness or individual 
scruples. Conscience pointed the way ; he had but 
to go forward. Home, ease, health, and as it proved, 
life itself, were sacrificed at last. He entered with 
characteristic resolution upon the disheartening work, 
— desperate it might almost be called, for his society 
had small claims, as he too well knew, upon the 
sympathies of others, and he had already gleaned the 
field for his flock at Chicago. 

Many will long remember the Christian manner 
in which he fulfilled his wearisome task, and the 
manly appeal which won its way to all hearts. 

While on this mission, his power as a preacher 
was first revealed to his brethern in the ministry. 



44 ^ MEMOIR. 

He gained many to his cause, because it was his 
cause, and his whole heart was in it. Generous men, 
whose names it would not be delicate to reveal, 
came forward to the rescue of the church at Hart- 
ford, and by their sympathy threw an occasional ray 
of sunshine over the dark and lonely hours of heart- 
sickness he suffered while engaged in this uncon- 
genial work. No eye but the All-seeing fell upon 
the discouraging struggles he went through, none 
but He could see the self-denial of his faithful ser- 
vant, who, with His blessing, was successful, and 
brought his church triumphantly out of all its 
troubles. And the grateful thanks of his people 
threw back bright, golden tints over the rough and 
thorny path he had travelled. 

Through all these years of his residence in Hart- 
ford, Mr. Harrington was earnestly engaged in ad- 
vancing the cause of popular education, and his 
labors were justly appreciated. " He was appointed, 
during this period. Chairman of the Board of Visit- 
ors of the Public Schools, in the success of which he 
took a lively interest ; and he continued to fill this 
office, to the entire satisfaction of all parties, till he 
left the city." 

He labored continually for the good of others; 
and that he also had his own private perplexi- 
ties and difficulties, the following extract from a 
record, never intended for publication, will plainly 
show. 

" During all this time, the expenses of his household 
were reduced to the least possible outlay consistent with his 
position ; his library received no additions except from the 



MEMOIR. 



45 



occasional generosity of a friend ; he allowed himself no 
journeys, nor even the relief of exchanges, because he felt 
that he had no right to expend money on himself. Passion- 
ately fond of music, he refrained from attending concerts, 
and, in short, denied himself every enjoyment which cost 
money, and all luxuries and comforts, till he could feel that 
they might be conscientiously indulged in. Always scru- 
pulously neat in his person, his clothes were nevertheless 
often threadbare. Till his debts were paid, he said he must 
consent to ' look poor.' 

" He never allowed a laborer to call twice for his pay. 
One morning he was discussing, at home, the economical 
expenditure of a small sum of money, which was all he 
then had, when a man called to whom the greater propor- 
tion was due for labor performed the previous week. On 
the spur of the moment, it was suggested that he might 
call again the next week, when the quarter's salary would 
be paid, but Mr. Harrington unhesitatingly replied, ' No, 
never do that ; if any suffer, let it be ourselves.' " 

All old debts, in some instances forgotten by the 
creditors themselves, were one by one wiped away, 
principal and interest. 

Thus he lived, at that time, isolated from all his 
old friends, excluded from the sympathy of most of 
his fellow-clergymen, struggling with limited means, 
compelled to see his beloved wife deprived of the 
luxuries and even the comforts to which she had 
been accustomed, giving up, not only the indulgences 
of refined taste, but even the books which he most 
longed for ; heroically denying himself every gratifica- 
tion for the sole purpose of discharging his debts, 
and doing his duty as a Christian servant of God ; 
and all this with perfect submission, without com- 



46 



MEMOIR. 



plaint or murmur, without opening his burdened 
heart to his most intimate friends, for fear of distress- 
ing them. Is not this heroism higher than that 
which conquers a thousand cities ? 

It was early in March, 1852, when it seemed cer- 
tain that his efforts to save the church at Hartford 
would be successful, and but little more remained to 
be done, that he received the first intimation of a 
call to San Francisco. He replied that he could 
take no subject into consideration until he had fin- 
ished the work upon which he was engaged. This 
was done in the following May ; but as soon as he 
came to the quiet and confinement of his own study, 
he began to feel the effect of his exertions, and from 
that period he dated the disease, which, gradually de- 
veloping, aggravated by various causes, terminated 
his earthly career. He was never well, never himself 
again. 

When the proposition to go to California came 
before him for definite consideration, and the novelty 
of the idea wore off with familiarity, his desire was 
to determine what he ought to do. He felt that 
it was not his duty to remain permanently in 
Hartford, — he had done his utmost for this parish ; 
and his conviction was, that he was called to do 
more good elsewhere than he could accomplish in 
that narrow sphere. 

He pondered long before he decided on this great 
move, and his will seemed to repose entirely on the 
wiJl of God respecting it. His deliberation ended in 
the resolve to devote himself, with all the energy of 
his being, to the work of the Gospel in this inspiring 



MEMOIR. 



47 



field. While passing a few days in New York and 
Brooklyn, on an exchange, in June, he took a severe 
cold, from the effects of which he suffered acutely, 
being under constant medical treatment from that 
time till he left for San Francisco. Few of his pa- 
rishioners knew how ill he was during the last three 
weeks of his stay in Hartford, having, for two Sun- 
days previous to the last, only left his bed to perform 
public services, returning to it as soon as they were 
over. The exertion and anxiety consequent upon re- 
moval, packing furniture, &c., were exceedingly ex- 
hausting to him ; but as he was enjoined in the call 
to California to make as much haste as possible, he 
allowed himself no rest in preparation for the steamer 
of the 20th of July. His physician said that medi- 
cine was of little avail while his mind and his time 
were so occupied, but recommended the sea voyage, 
and thought that when once " off soundings " he 
would be well again. 

His last sermon was commenced late on Saturday 
evening, after a week of incessant toil ; and, when 
finished, he was so exhausted by the effort that noth- 
ing but the excitement of the occasion enabled him 
to deliver it. " His deathly paleness was remarked 
by many, who, ignorant of what he had gone 
through, attributed it wholly to his feelings at part- 
ing with his people. This parting, no doubt, tended 
to depress him, but he was fitter at that moment for 
the seclusion of a sick chamber than for the services 
of the pulpit. His discourse was, however, delivered 
with more than his usual energy, and to a crowded 
house, many having come then who never entered 



48 



MEMOIR. 



the church before. Expressions of regret at his leav- 
ing came alike from all denominations, and to his 
people the occasion was one of the deepest sadness 
and bereavement." 

The strong feeling of respect and attachment en- 
tertained towards their pastor was manifested in 
public and private. The following resolutions were 
unanimously adopted and placed on the records of 
the church. 

" Whereas, the Rev. Joseph Harrington has tendered his 
resignation of the pastoral charge of the First Unitarian 
Congregational Society of Hartford : And whereas, its ac- 
ceptance by the society is deemed a suitable occasion for 
expressing the fraternal and respectful regard cherished by 
us towards him : Therefore, 

" Resolved, That in his connection with us, since the com- 
pletion of the church, he has attracted to himself the full 
measure of our confidence, esteem, and friendship. 

" Resolved, That while his extensive acquirements and 
eminent abilities will amply commend him to all that frater- 
nize with us in religious sentiment, we shall take pleasure 
in bearing record of him as a gentleman estimable and ex- 
emplary in all the walks of social life, as a minister of supe- 
rior endowments and attainments, as a religious teacher of 
reliable and acceptable Christian doctrine, and as a pastor 
assiduous, affectionate, and faithful in the discharge of his 
various duties. 

" Resolved, That while this society reluctantly accepts 
the resignation of Mr. Harrington, it cherishes unwavering 
faith in a prosperous future, and at the same time it cannot 
but hope that the sphere of the usefulness of Mr. Harring- 
ton will be extended by his proposed withdrawal to a new 
field of labor. 



MEMOIR. 



49 



" Resolved, That we cordially unite our best wishes for 
his future success and happiness, and fervently invoke 
Heaven to shower upon him its choicest blessings. 

" Resolved, That the secretary transmit a copy of the fore- 
going resolutions to Mr. Harrington, and cause the same to 
be published in the daily papers of this city." 

The following extracts from a sermon preached 
after the decease of Mr. Harrington, by Rev. Charles 
Brooks, before the Hartford society, give an interest- 
ing account of him as a minister. 

" In a community where a profound philosophy of human 
life, a divine right of mental freedom, and where Christian 
hopes of a true millennial glory are as common as household 
words, Mr. Harrington was born and educated. He breathed 
these principles wherever he went, and they made him what 
he was, and they are calculated to make such persons. 
They present no obstructions to the utmost expanse of mind 
and heart. Both intellect and affection develop under their 
influence as naturally as the petals of the rose unfold and ex- 
pand beneath the sunshine and the dew. I have stated 
these facts and made these remarks, because they furnish 
the only proper position from which the taste, opinions, and 
character of our friend can be viewed. 

" With these truths before us, let us look at some of the 
salient features of his mind and heart. 

" You remember his zeal for the improvement of com- 
mon schools, and the extension of education. You can 
now see that he would have been a traitor to his own train- 
ing and his own faith if he had folded his arms in idleness 
and unconcern. All voices in your city, — the public pa- 
pers and your valedictory resolutions (unanimously voted in 
your parish meeting), all unite in saying that he conferred 
permanent benefits on the schools, by elevating the standard 

5 



50 



ME MO IK. 



of teaching and multiplying the means of improvement. 
That his heart was in the work, is proved by the fact that 
the children delighted to see his pleasant face, and hear his 
rich, musical voice in their school-rooms. A bad man can- 
not win the permanent love of children. 

" You remember the affluence of his conversation 
during his parochial visits. He was a genial spirit, and 
loved to talk. So remarkable was his eloquence in social 
debate, that he would at times throw over his thoughts a 
drapery of illustration as glorious as the flush of morning 
on the western hills. Commanding a wide compass of 
phrase, his extemporaneous sermons had a freshness and 
electricity which touched all hearts. It is said that ' he 
never missed the right word.' This is no small praise in 
our community, where we daily witness such random heap- 
ing of turgid epithets. Few can always command the 
word that geometrically covers the idea. Many of us, in 
pensive mortification, are obliged to carry our diamonds in 
broken baskets. 

" He was a man of affairs, and could manage business 
well. With this part of his character, I became personally 
acquainted during his mission to Massachusetts, last winter, 
to gather funds for liquidating your parish debt. In this, he 
seemed to me to be a man of good judgment, sterling integ- 
rity^ and indomitable perseverance. He was not for look- 
ing back, when the journey lies forward. Throughout that 
arduous and unwelcome service he bore himself like a 
scholar, like a gentleman, and like a Christian. He knew 
that he was laboring for a people who could appreciate his 
efforts. Full to overflowing with his subject, I marked the 
courteous gravity and gentle patience with which he repeated 
the details, whenever requested. Flis public ' Appeal ' 
showed his tact ; it was mercantile and short, just the two 
qualities to win our ' merchant princes.' Your gratitude to 



MEMOIR. 



51 



him I know is deep and hearty. By his success, he has 
connected his name for ever with your church, and you will 
rejoice to transmit it in your permanent records. 

" Not devoted to metaphysics, he preferred to preach 
about the common ideas and pursuits, the common wants 
and hopes of man. As he was gifted in understanding the 
common affairs of the world, and discerning the ruling mo- 
tives of men, there were few who could preach better on 
this text : ' Thou art the man ! ' With sin, in every form, 
he held no parley, made no compromise. You can testify 
to his fidelity. 

' Thou knowest how bland with years his wisdom grew, 
And with what phrases, steeped in love, 
He sheathed the sharpness of rebuke.' 

" Knowing how the masses think and feel, he could look 
from their angle, and therefore his appeals were full of prac- 
tical philosophy and common sense. If he had faults of 
style, they arose from having too many words and too 
many rhetorical figures. 

" As an expounder of the Sacred Scriptures, he was cau- 
tious and faithful, bringing to his aid all the light he could 
find in the wide circle of differing commentators, believing 
that others were as sincere as himself, and perhaps more 
learned. He was a prayerful student of the Book of books. 
His reverence for it prevented him from touching the harp 
of the Prophet with that unholy violence which snaps its 
chords. He left the place of his birth, where the conflict 
about doctrine had nearly ceased, and came here, where it 
has just begun. He brough twith him the light of truth, 
sanctified by the warmth of love. The weapons of his 
warfare were Scripture and argument, never ridicule or de- 
nunciation. He did not believe that slander or fagots have 
the essence of persuasion in them. His ruling aim was to 



52 



MEMOIR. 



express the whole will of God, and declare the whole Gos- 
pel of Christ, regardless of human creeds or worldly suc- 
cess. He went with his whole soul for the whole Bible, and 
that made him higher and deeper and broader than all sects. 
He was 

^ That freeman whom the Truth makes free.' 

You will long remember his extraordinary power in 
reading the Sacred Scriptures. So thoroughly did he ap- 
prehend their meaning, that his reading of them had the 
value of a commentary. His prayers, too, — how varied ! 
how fervent ! how humble ! In the administration of the 
sacred ordinances, he adhered to the simplicity there is in 
Christ, and left the complexity there is in men. 

" In his parochial duties, he was genial at the marriage 
feast, tender in the chamber of sickness, and sympathizing 
in the house of sorrow. His religion could be better de- 
fined by the word love^ than justice. 

" Perhaps his peculiarity was his wholeness. He seemed 
a fortunate blending of all the forces, physical, intellectual, 
and moral. There were none of those ragged projections 
which mar symmetry. The intellect, as well as the pas- 
sions, was subjected to conscience, and conscience was en- 
throned as God's representative in human nature. This 
favorable adjustment of parts and harmonious action of 
powers made his judgments seem to others like common 
sense and natural truth. When a man thus fits the world, 
and the world fits him, his decisions may be relied on. 

" We do not suppose that he was infallible, or that he was 
without the imperfections which may grow out of a deci- 
sive, hopeful, and masculine character. Shadows are a 
consequence of sunshine. 

" There are several pleasing traits on which I have not 
time to speak, and there are many ties which bound you to 
him which your hearts can feel better than I can describe. 
I know you will do justice to both. 



MEMOIR. 



53 



" We come, then, to this conclusion : that he was a wise 
man, a good scholar, a warm friend, a safe counsellor, an 
eloquent preacher, a faithful minister, and a devout Chris- 
tian. The conscientious convictions of such a man, result- 
ing from mature examination, are entitled to respect. Let 
us glance at a few of them. 

" He was a conservative, and not fond of aeronautic ex- 
peditions in theology. In essentials, he was for unity, in 
non-essentials, for liberty, and in all, for charity. Rejecting 
all creeds of human device, he accepted the Bible, the 
whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, as his creed. Ac- 
cordingly, he believed that there is one God, the Father. 
That the government of this world, and all worlds, is pater- 
nal, and that it is as just for God to be merciful as it is mer- 
ciful for him to be just. He believed in Jesus Christ as the 
promised Messiah, the one Mediator between God and man, 
the divine Teacher, the all-sufficient Saviour, the visible Rep- 
resentative of God, who is invisible. He believed that 
every child is born pure, and that Christ said what was true 
when he declared that ' of such is the kingdom of Heav- 
en.' Moreover, that the child, under proper Christian nur- 
ture, will grow up a Christian, and that the development of 
the moral character and spiritual life will be as natural as 
the growth of the plant, or the progress of the seasons. It 
would obey a great law of nature. He believed that man 
is philosophically and morally free, — free to think, free to 
will, free to act, — and is therefore responsible ; that he is 
placed in this world at school, schooling for eternity, and 
therefore has the making of his own character, and that his 
character here determines his condition hereafter. He be- 
lieved that error is mortal, and cannot always live ; truth 
immortal, and can never die. He believed that God's grace 
is unpurchased and free ; that the terms of pardon and re- 
demption are offered, 'without money and without price,' 
5* 



54 



MEMOIR. 



to every sinner ; that heaven is open to every holy and pi- 
ous mind ; that God will give his sanctifying spirit to all 
who truly seek it, and will at last render to every man ac- 
cording to his deeds. 

" With such a faith, and the character that such a faith 
makes, no wonder that he was selected as the fit expounder 
of enlightened and rational Christianity to the wide-awake, 
independent, and exposed Unitarians of San Francisco. 
He was emphatically the man for that important mission." 

Mr. Harrington left Hartford on the 14th of July 
1852, to visit his friends in Roxbury before setting 
out for California; and on the 20th, he, with his 
wife and daughter, took passage from New York in 
the steamer Illinois for Aspinwall. During the voy- 
age, he suffered much from debility, but atti'ibuted it 
to the effects of sea-sickness. Although there was 
no rough weather, he could sit up but little, and was 
ill-fitted to endure the hardships of the route across 
the Isthmus to Panama. An extract from Mrs. Har- 
rington's account of the journey says : — 

" Words have no meaning when attempting to describe 
our three days' travel from Aspinwall to Panama. The de- 
bilitating atmosphere, wretched, dirty food, and miserable 
lodgings, added to the excessive fatigue, making it almost 
unendurable for persons in full health and strength. We 
rode on mules from Cruces to Panama, a distance of twenty 
or twenty-five miles. We started at seven, A. M., and rode, 
with only once dismounting, till half past nine, P. M. The 
road was in its worst state, and Mr. Harrington's mule, in 
struggling through the mud, twice broke the girths and 
threw him off. During the first three hours the rain fell in 
such torrents as can only be seen in tropical climates, and 



MEMOIR. 



55 



we were, of course, thoroughly drenched. Arriving at Pan- 
ama, we were put, ten or twelve (ladies and gentlemen in- 
discriminately), into one room, with dirty cots to lie on, and 
no means of washing or of changing our clothes." 

The steamer in which their passages for San 
Francisco had been engaged having been filled up 
with United States troops, they were compelled to 
wait six days at Panama. 

Mr. Harrington had been assured, before leaving 
New York, by persons on whose statements he had 
reason to place implicit reliance, that the fever which 
was said to prevail at that time on the Isthmus was 
confined almost exclusively to low and dissipated 
travellers and the laborers on the railroad, and that, 
with proper caution, there was no more danger then 
than at any other season. This statement was in 
some degree erroneous, and as it proved, it was im- 
possible to guard against exposure and over-fatigue. 

There were many cases of Panama fever on the 
voyage to San Francisco ; and though none of these 
proved fatal among the cabin passengers, there were, 
from this and other diseases, a number of deaths 
during the passage. At five of the burials at sea 
Mr. Harrington ofiiciated, and he exerted himself to 
the utmost to console the bereaved, who in several 
instances were left entirely alone in the world. 

On the last Sunday of the voyage he was for the 
first time able to preach. His sermon, which was 
extempore, was on the " God-given power of the 
human will for self-discipline." 

They reached San Francisco on the 27th of Au- 
gust, where they found kind friends ready to greet 



56 



MEMOIR. 



them and welcome them heartily to their new 
home. 

On the foiloAving Sunday he preached in the 
United States District Court Room, to a large num- 
ber of persons. This was a most delightful surprise 
to him. Accustomed to small beginnings, he had 
not expected so large a congregation ; and in the 
course of the week he was gratified to learn that he 
was wholly acceptable in his new pulpit. 

The next Sunday, the Court Room was so crowd- 
ed that many went away, unable to procure seats. 
A large hall was afterwards engaged as a place of 
worship ; and although it was feared that it would 
prove too large, the first service determined that even 
this would not comfortably seat all who came. Here 
Mr. Harrington preached three Sundays, occupying 
the intervening weeks in making acquaintances 
among his new society, and also among other de- 
nominations. In that freer, broader atmosphere, 
where the narrow bonds of sectarianism loose their 
hold, the cordial hand of brotherhood was extended 
to him by ministers of differing theological opinions, 
giving him, for the first time since his entrance into 
the ministry, the happiness of unrestrained associa- 
tion with the clergy. 

The Building Committee now became much in- . 
terested in the project for a new church, and Mr. Har- 
rington entered warmly into their plans. But his 
health failed him, and after struggling manfully 
against the evil which had been long threatening 
him, he was obliged to yield to the diseases whose 
combined force he could not resist. 



MEMOIR. 



57 



But the account of his illness can be best given in 
the words of her whose privilege it was, after a 
happy union of nearly eleven years, enriched by an 
ever-increasing store of mutual love and respect, to 
stand by his bedside, administering and receiving 
comfort to the last. 

" From the moment of arrival, he was in health less and 
less himself. He had one or two attacks of slight illness, 
commencing with chills, which confined him to his bed for 
a day or two at a time ; and his friends and physician said 
that he was passing through an acclimating process, and 
that it might be a month or two before he was quite restored. 
The fact that almost every one goes through acclimation 
after arrival, more or less severe, was the reason that his 
symptoms did not cause more alarm. 

"About the first of October his debility seemed to increase ; 
a short walk fatigued him so much, that he was obliged to 
lie down after it, and all exercise was disagreeable to him. 
At last he complained of constant chilliness, and one even- 
ing, after returning from a call, he went to bed shivering 
violently. A burning fever ensued, accompanied by severe 
pains in the limbs and back, and intense headache. His 
physician pronounced his disease Panama fever, but without 
aggravated symptoms. On the third day he was seized 
with congestion of the heart, which resulted in paralysis, 
from the waist down. His prostration was then so great, 
that he could not turn his head or raise his hand ; but 
from that time he suffered no severe pain. 

" After the first night of this excessive weakness, he first 
spoke to me, with great solemnity, of the possibility of not 
recovering, calmly expressing his wishes with respect to 
certain business matters, in that event. I strove to do 
away with such thoughts, as neither myself nor the physi- 



58 



MEMOIR. 



cian had any apprehensions at that time as to the result of 
his illness ; but his seriousness w-as not changed, and I now 
believe that from that time his conviction was, that his end 
was at hand. He seemed to see at a glance through the 
efforts at lively conversation by his physicians, in order to 
induce him to relinquish the idea of his danger; and one' 
day, in particular, after one of the consulting physicians 
had been telling the news, and giving an animated descrip- 
tion of late occurrences, which he thought might engage 
his attention, he turned to me and remarked : ' Dr. Merritt's 
motto is. Encouragement.' He watched his own symptoms 
closely, counted his own pulse, watched the effect of all 
medicines, and knew from hour to hour the slightest change 
in his case, as well as if he had been a physician. Through- 
out his entire illness his mind was apparently as clear and 
active as when in health. 

" He seemed utterly at rest in spirit, reposing unhesitat- 
ingly in God's will. I once asked him if he regretted in 
any event that he had come to California. He replied, ' No, 
— the call was from God ; I did my duty ; I would not but 
have come.' Perfect calmness possessed him, — ever 
grateful for favorable symptoms, — ever unmurmuringly 
resigned in discouraging change. He prayed constantly 
and fervently for entire submission on the part of both^ in 
the event of separation, and his faith was unfaltering in re- 
union beyond the grave. 

" On one occasion, when incidental reference was made to 
a person who had treated him ill, he said ' all resentment 
is wiped aivay.'' 

" He never forgot, in his hours of extremest pain or weari- 
ness, the comfort of those who were watching with him ; 
caring lest they should become exhausted through fatigue, 
or lest, through their devotion to him, their business or their 
home duties should suffer. He also constantly contrasted 



MEMOIR. ' 59 

his own sick bed (surrounded by wife and friends) with 
many others in California, whose suffering occupants en- 
dure alone, and die far from all that their hearts hold 
dear ; and for the three weeks that he lay on ' his bed of 
languishing,' not a murmur, not an expression of impa- 
tience, fell from his lips. 

" With the paralysis, the disease which had caused him so 
much suffering before leaving Hartford [inflammation of the 
kidneys] , reappeared ; and though from the deadening of 
the nerves of sensation he suffered no pain, yet the symp- 
toms were aggravated and unaffected by medicine. The 
physicians considered that he suffered from a complication 
of diseases, each influencing the other. At this time there 
was but slight change in his general symptoms. He re- 
gained the use of his limbs a little ; but there was no return 
of sensation to the spine. 

" Owing to his being much disturbed by the noise of work- 
men, engaged in making additions to the hotel in which M^e 
boarded, the physicians advised his removal to some quieter 
place, and accordingly, on Saturday, October 30th, he was 
carried a short distance to the house of his generous friend 
and parishioner. Captain F. W. Macondray. We watched 
anxiously for the effect of this exertion upon him, but we 
could not see that it was other than beneficial. When he 
uncovered his face after being laid on his new bed, it wore 
such an expression of pleasure, that Dr. Merritt remarked, 
'Why, Mr. Harrington, we will move you every day, if it 
improves you so much.' 

" The next morning (Sunday) Dr. Morrison found him 
much better. He had passed the night in great comfort, 
and his general symptoms were highly encouraging. The 
doctor observed, ' You have nothing to do now, Mr. Har- 
rington, but to get well as fast as possible.' During the 
day, the news of his being better spread rapidly, and many 



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MEMOIR. 



friends called to congratulate me on the happy change. 
Joseph himself seemed gratefully, prayerfully, accepting life 
a new. 

" When the doctor came to see him, about ten o'clock that 
night, he found a great alteration in his pulse, and every 
indication of rapid sinking. He only intimated his feais to 
one person, — the friend who was going to watch the latter 
part of the night. I went to bed after midnight, in the ad- 
joining room, entirely unconscious of any change. 

" In the morning he was evidently so much worse that all 
my fears returned. Three additional physicians were 
called in, but they could suggest nothing to stay the precious 
life that was fast ebbing away. Joseph watched their faces 
as they examined pulse, tongue, and skin. Question seemed 
unnecessary ; their countenances were hopeless. When I 
returned to the room after a short absence with the phy- 
sicians, and stood back of his pillows, that he might not 
observe the emotion which could not be controlled, he 
turned his head quite round to see me, saying, ' Ah ! you 
cannot conceal those tears.' From this moment he ac- 
cepted death in the same spirit in which he had received 
the prospect of returning life. With respect to the dear 
ones he must leave behind, he said he had no fears, — God 
would provide for them. During the day he remarked, 
' I don't think of myself ; I feel only for my bereaved 
wife and child.' And again, ' Tell my dear mother that 
I loved her devotedly, and always loved her.' 

" Among his associates, with whom he had conversed fre- 
quently while at San Francisco, upon matters of opinion 
SiXid faith, was an Episcopal clergyman, who did not believe 
that the faith of a Unitarian would support the heart at the 
hour of death. He stood at his bedside in silence. 
' Brother Moore,' said the dying Christian, ' One of us 
lieth low, and the other standeth erect, through the will of 



MEMOIR. 



61 



the same merciful Father. I go willingly, — joyfully, — 
all through a glorious Saviour.' 

Once he said, ' I fear the Lord has marked me for his 
own.' ' No,' said I, ' you trusty you do not fear.'' ' O 
yes!' he replied, fervently, — 'perfect trust and perfect 
submissiom' 

" Gradually he grew weaker in body, but his clear con- 
sciousness never forsook him ; he fully appreciated his 
dying state. 

" He had always had a great dread of physical pain, and 
now, while speaking to me of the slight comparative suffer- 
ing of his illness, he added, ' Oh, if it would please the 
Lord to let the last hour be without agony ! ' And his 
prayer was answered in mercy. God took him gently to 
himself. The last words he spoke were in recognition of 
his child, ' My own darling little Nelly ! ' 

" At eight o'clock in the evening (Tuesday, November 
2d, 1852), he passed serenely to his eternal reward. 

" From the commencement to the end of his illness, he 
was surrounded by every comfort that devoted friends 
could furnish or wealth procure. Not only to the family of 
his hospitable parishioner, and to his own congregation 
generally, was he an especial care, but friends of all de- 
nominations vied with each other in kind attentions and 
faithful watchings. The house was perpetually thronged 
with anxious inquirers and eager offerers of service ; and 
if love were strong to bind on earth, he must have been 
spared. 

" The burial service was conducted by Rev. Mr. Hunt, 
of the Orthodox church. He used (by request) the ' ser- 
vice ' of the Unitarian Church of St. Louis, and made a 
beautiful and touching address upon the character, Hfe, and 
death of his lamented brother." 

6 



62 



MEMOIR. 



The remains of Rev. Joseph Harrington were in- 
terred at San Francisco, November 4th, 1852, and 
at Forest Hills Cemetery, Roxbury, Massachusetts, 
December 13th, 1853. 

The news of his death spread sadness over the 
hearts of many, who, even in a short acquaintance, 
had become strongly attached to him ; and in various 
parts of the country, where Mr. Harrington had been 
best known, obituary notices appeared in the religious 
and secular newspapers, expressing profound grief 
for his loss, a just appreciation of his learning, and 
admiration of his power and eloquence as a preacher. 

The loss to the society at San Francisco seemed 
irreparable ; and their sentiments were expressed 
in the following resolutions, passed on the 8th of 
November, at a meeting of the Unitarians of that 
city. 

" Resolved, That the death of our beloved pastor, the 
Rev. Joseph Harrington, has impressed us with the pro- 
foundest sorrow. 

" Resolved, That whilst we bow in submission to this most 
afflicting dispensation of Providence, we cannot but feel 
that we have lost the head of our church ; one who was 
pre-eminently fitted to be the pioneer of our faith upon the 
Pacific, and around whom might well cluster all the hopes 
and efforts of our new society ; while our city has lost one 
whose influence, both as a Christian minister and a prac- 
tical philanthropist, would have been wide-spread and highly 
beneficial. 

" Resolved, That the brief but delightful connection 
allowed us with our departed pastor and friend has en- 
deared him to the hearts of all of us, and taught us how to 
appreciate the greatness of their loss who were connect- 
ed with him by the ties of natural affection. 



MEMOIR. 



63 



" Resolved^ That we sincerely sympathize with the family 
of the deceased in the distressing bereavement which 
has befallen them and us, and offer to them our heart- 
felt condolence in our common misfortune. 

" Resolved^ That these resolutions be entered in the rec- 
ords of our society, and copies transmitted^ to the family of 
our late pastor. 

"George V. Noyes, Secretary.'''' 

" So passed from earth to heaven God's gifted 
and faithful servant." 

From the time when he prayerfully consecrated 
himself to the work of the ministry, all events 
assumed to him a religious aspect, and every nerve 
and fibre of his mental constitution seemed pene- 
trated with the etherial spirit of Christianity. 

Romance, touched by celestial fire, was trans- 
formed into that beautiful devotion which for ever 
united him to her in whose arms he breathed his 
last. The heroic elements of his character infused 
vigor, resolution, energy, and fortitude into those 
efforts which would otherwise have disheartened 
him. His magnanimity spread a genial atmosphere 
around him. His devoted ness to duty saved him 
from embarrassments, and generosity to others re- 
lieved him from anxious concern for the worldly 
interests of those who depended on him. 

Throughout his ministerial life, filled as it was- 
.with changes and self-sacrifice, he felt no misgivings, 
— no want of confidence in an overruling Provi- 
dence. 

He was sure that all was for the best, and he ad- 
vanced from one labor to another with enthusiastic 



64 



MEMOIR. 



earnestness and trust, with absolute resignation to 
God's will, and anxious only to live nobly and do 
his duty. 

It would be difficult to find any instance of more 
entire self-renouncement; or of more childlike sub- 
mission to the dictates of conscience. 

From all those instincts of the heart that made 
his youth romantic, chivalrous, and even magnan- 
imous, he advanced to those far higher and nobler 
qualities that made his manhood religious. His 
powers being consecrated to the service of God, he 
knew no happiness but in doing His will. 

He died in the prime of life, with the most bril- 
liant prospects of usefulness before him, admired, be- 
loved, and reverenced. The light of his example 
still shines upon us, although the orb itself has been 
withdrawn from our hemisphere. 



4 



